Flamengo through to semis after draw with Medellín in U20 Libertadores | OneFootball

Independiente de Medellín (COL) abused violence, but Flamengo got the result they needed

Flamengo fought, took a beating, and qualified! This Friday (13th), the Most Beloved drew 0-0 with Independiente de Medellín (COL) and secured qualification for the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores da América U-20. The match took place at altitude in Quito, Ecuador, at the Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, for the third round of Group A.

Now, Flamengo waits for the end of the third round in the other groups to find out their opponent. After all, Mengão will face, in the semifinal, the best second-placed team among the three groups. With seven points, Bruno Pivetti’s squad finished first in Group A, after 4-1 victories over Estudiantes de Mérida (VEN) and Bolívar (BOL).

HOW WAS THE GAME?

Flamengo started the match poorly, mainly due to the physical strength of Independiente de Medellín, with taller and more muscular players. However, in a quick counterattack, the Most Beloved missed a great chance to open the scoring.

Ryan Roberto broke through on the left and was brought down in the box. Penalty. Immediately, the number 11 began to cry due to the harsh tackle and had to be substituted with pain in his left ankle at the 33rd minute, replaced by Gusttavo. On the penalty, number 10 Guilherme even sent the goalkeeper the wrong way, but the ball crashed against the post.

Independiente Medellín abused rough fouls, and the referee failed to send off at least two players from the Colombian team. Besides Ryan Roberto, another who took a lot of hits during the match was striker Josmar, who finished the game with a cut on his face.

Nevertheless, Flamengo endured and held onto the result they needed. The Colombians hit the post at the 44th minute of the second half. Then, in the final play, Léo Nannetti performed a real miracle in the box and saved Fla.

If Medellín had won, they would have taken the top spot in Group A on tiebreaker criteria, and Rubro-Negro would have had to hope for a combination of results to finish as the best second-placed team. However, that wasn’t necessary. Now, it’s time to focus on the semifinal next Thursday (19th).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.